Along Came Ami
by Mr-Herp-Derp
Summary: A man named Harry Howler lives in the bad part of a town miles from anywhere, regularly victimized by a notorious thug named Mr. Break-My-Bones. But when a certain pair of rock stars enter his life, everything starts coming up Harry. But what does Mr. Break-My-Bones have to say? Ami/FC. Rated T for Violence, Language, and some slight sexual themes later on. Cover made by a friend.
1. A Day In The Life of Harry Howler

Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi show fan fic. A man named Harry lives in the bad part of town miles from anywhere. He is regularly attacked by a notorious thug, known as Mr. Break-My-Bones. While everybody fears him, nobody has more of a reason than his regular victim. Harry wants nothing more for Mr. Break-My-Bones to leave him alone, then even this crappy part of town would be alright. Meanwhile, Ami and Yumi are touring and they pass through this town on their way to their next show. However, out of the blue, their bus breaks down. The girls are left with their cats while Kaz gets the bus taken two towns over for repairs. Harry meets the two stars, and opens his home to them The girls soon become the first people to show him kindness. What happens when Mr. Break-My-Bones learns this? Ami/OC

No copyright infringement intended. Characters belong to their respective owners. I only own Harry and Mr. Break-My-Bones.

Rated T for violence and language, and some slight sexual themes later on.

Chapter one.

A Day In The Life of Harry Howler.

He walked, or rather limped, back to his apartment. The cool night air was bringing new stings to his wounds, which included (but were not limited to) a black eye, a swollen lip, bruised ribs, and a twisted ankle.

"Boy," muttered the man to no one in particular, "that Mr. Break-My-Bones sure knows his stuff about a beating." The long walk was made even longer by his pain, but it was mercifully coming to an end. He saw a single street light on a corner; it was his sign of home. His apartment he was forced to call home was just around the bend. He prayed that a certain thug wasn't. Each step made him more and more paranoid; would old BMB come back for round two? But when he reached the corner, and dared to look, relief filled him. His danger was only imagined, and his attacker was not in sight. The man walked to the apartment, punched the code into the door's keypad, and unlocked the door. He sighed in relief when the door locked itself behind him.

The darkness of the lobby didn't help his state, but he found the strength to go up the three flights of stairs (no mean feat with a twisted ankle) And into his room, which he locked behind him. Harry Howler plopped into his chair, felt the pain of his ribs against the old, rickety armchair that had seen better days, and sighed. Another day in this rotten town. But then, it wasn't the town that was rotten; it was his attacker that made it the hell it was. If anybody had a reason to cry, it would be twenty five year old Harry Howler, but no tears for him tonight. He was a tall and lean man, with lanky arms and legs, a mop of greasy white hair (which was a natural shade), and beady blue eyes.

"Once again," Harry spoke, as if he were an actor performing a monologue to an invisible audience, "That no good, rotten Break My Bones thug wins. He beats me like a ragdoll, and the police are too scared of him to stop him. What I wouldn't give for him to just vanish off the face of the earth. It would make the lives of many people better, but none more so than mine." Eventually, after a few more pain filled minutes, Harry found the strength to get up and get in his bed. As he layed down on his lumpy bed, trying to sleep, he dared to look out the window. But instead of a large, brutish silhouette busting in, he saw a shooting star.

"Shooting star, huh?" He mused to himself, half asleep. "If that wishing on a star garbage holds water, I wish that my life would get better." Harry eventually nodded off, not knowing that his wish was going to be granted.


	2. The Plight Of Two Rockstars

HOLY CRAP! Has it really been over a year since I updated this story? Really?! I'm so sorry to the two people who bothered to read this story. Anyway, I hope this makes up for it.

Chapter Two

The Plight of two Rockstars

The bus rolled along, and in the back were two rockstars. One of them had purple hair and wore a purple shirt with a white skull on the chest, with a black skirt and black boots, with purple laces and soles. A spiked choker and spiked gauntlets completed the outfit. Her companion had pink hair with a flower in it that ran down to the middle of her back, with a yellow, orange, and pink dress. A white belt and white boots completed her outfit. On the rockstars' laps were two cats. One white and one black, Tekirai. and Jang Keng respectively. The two held controllers in their hands, as the TV in front of them showed two spandex clad pseudo superheroes duking it out.

"I hope you're ready for this Ami," said Yumi, pumped from the action of the game, "because I'll be sending you to the loser's pit!"

"I'll believe that when I see it." Ami shot back, setting up her hero's defensive pose. Yumi pressed the button combination for the best move her red spandex clad avatar had in his arsenal. He delivered a spartan kick, adorned with flames, which broke the Blue Man's block, leaving him open for two chest punches, and a flaming uppercut. The screen flashed brightly, a mushroom cloud invading the background, indicating Ami's loss, as the blue loser clattered to the floor.

Yumi punched the air with a victorious holler while Ami pouted slightly. After the red hero's victory slogan, the screen darkened a bit, and the text "Player One Wins!" appeared. It shrank a bit to make room for three more options. Rematch, Character Select, And Main menu respectively.

"Wanna rematch?" asked Yumi, still pumped from the fight. Ami opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly a loud banging sound startled the two girls, and their feline companions. The bus slammed to a stop, throwing all four to the floor. Thankfully, the girls did not land on the cats. Yumi looked at Ami.

"You okay?" she asked. Ami nodded.

"That scared me," she said. The two stood up and walked to the driver's area, where their manager Kaz was trying to start the bus again. He was a much shorter man than his clients. He had the typical male pattern baldness hairstyle. He wore massive glasses, with specks of a mustache and a beard. He wore a black T shirt, blue jeans, and grey sneakers.

"What did you do this time, Kaz?!" Demanded Yumi. "You could have hurt us."

"It's not my fault," Kaz snapped back at her. He turned the key in the bus again, but the vehicle stubbornly refused to start. Suddenly, the smell of smoke started to fill the air.

"Kaz," said Ami, "did you get that tune up for the bus?" Kaz was silent for a few moments before offering a feeble,

"No." Yumi performed a facepalm and growled in frustration.

"Kaz!" She yelled, "You knew that the bus needed that tune up, so why didn't you get it?!"

"Did you see what that mechanic was charging?" Kaz tried to defend himself, "I figured I could do it myself much cheaper."

"And look where that brilliant idea got us!" Yumi sighed through gritted teeth. "What do we do now?" Kaz looked at Yumi like she was the biggest idiot he'd ever laid eyes on,

"Well, we need to take it to a mechanic of course."

"How do we take a broken down bus to a mechanic by ourselves, dummy?!" snapped Yumi, "we're gonna have to get a tow truck to tow the bus to a mechanic."

"Are you kidding?" asked Kaz, his eyes widening, "do you know how much tow trucks charge?"

"Well if you got the tune up like you were supposed to," Yumi retorted, very annoyed, "we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we?" Yumi pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, is this Tommy's Tow Trucks? Yeah, you guys tow busses? Good. Where are we? Hold on." Yumi pulled the phone away from her ear and looked out the window. She could barely make out a sign saying "Welcome To Liberty Town." The sign was dirty, and the lights on it flickered, indicating this sign was long overdue for a much needed repair. Yumi resumed the conversation.

"We're in some dump called Liberty Town." After a pause, Yumi's eyes widened, "You're kidding me! That far?!" Yumi sighed, "Alright fine, we'll be here." Yumi hung up the phone and shot Kaz a look.

"Well just our luck," she said, "the closest mechanic that can repair busses is two towns over!" Ami's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me!" she said, "You're sure there isn't somewhere closer?"

"That's what the guy told me." Responded Yumi, quite annoyed at the situation. After a few minutes of tense silence, a sound outside rang out, like truck tires rolling over a well-used road. "Look at that, he's already here."

Everyone stepped out of the bus, cats included, to meet with the driver. He was a tall man in a brown boiler suit, with black boots, gloves, and baseball hat.

"Howdy," he hailed them. "You the ones needin' that tow to that mechanic two towns over?"

"That's us," said Ami, cheerfully, despite the situation.

"Well, I'll get her hooked up then." The man got to work and within minutes had the bus in towing position.

"Gonna need one of ya'll to come with me," he said. Before Ami or Yumi could make a move, Kaz bolted by them, sitting in the passenger's seat of the truck.

"Can you take our cats too?" asked Ami, but the man shook his head no.

"I'm mighty allergic to cats," he explained, "Well, good luck to ya." The windows rolled up and the truck drove away, leaving the two rockstars, not to mention their cats, with just the money they had on hand and the clothes on their back.

"So here we are," said Yumi, very irked. "In a town in the middle of nowhere, with no shelter and two cats to feed."

"It could be worse," said Ami, "at least it's not raining." As if on cue, a massive thunderclap startled the pair, and the rain came down in sheets.

"You were saying?" asked Yumi, narrowing her eyes at her pink haired friend.

"What should we do now?" asked Ami.

"Let's try looking for a hotel," said Yumi, "there's bound to be one in this stink hole of a town." So the two set off looking for a hotel.

…

Meanwhile, Harry Howler, whose injuries were all but gone do to him being a fast healer, was walking home from work. For some reason, his boss had decided to let him leave his shift at the burger joint early and even better, he saw neither hide nor hare of Break My Bones. He walked through the rain, occasionally having to brush his hair out of his eyes. At one point after doing so, he saw two figures. All he could make of the figures now were the colors purple and pink. He was also barely able to make out two blobs, one white and one black. He decided to be bold and approach them.

When he got closer, it was clear as day that the two were not from around here, and the two blobs he had seen were cats.

"Hello," he hailed the two women, they stopped and looked at him. "What brings you to this sunny side of paradise? You don't look like you're from around here."

"Gee, where did you get that idea?" Yumi returned sarcastically,

"Your clothes," said Harry, "people around here don't dress up as hip as you."

"Who are you? The fashion police?" Yumi retorted,

"No," countered Harry, "I'm the animal cruelty police. It's a ticket for having cats in the rain like this. So I ask again, what brings you here?"

"We were on a tour," explained Ami, "when our bus broke down."

"Is there a hotel nearby?" Asked Yumi.

"There is," said Harry, "but it charges way too much."

"I'm sure we could afford it," said Yumi, "we're not exactly strapped for cash."

"Maybe you could, Purple Mop," said Harry, "but for the same price you could just set that money on fire and you'd still be better off."

"PURPLE MOP?!" demanded Yumi, glaring at Harry with ice pick eyes. Her pink haired companion seemed concerned,

"So what do we do?" She asked him. Tekirai. shared her owner's look of disdain.

"I don't normally do this," said Harry, "but for some odd reason I feel generous. I'll let you crash at my place until you're ready to go."

"Thanks!" Cried Ami.

"Hey, Ami," said Yumi, pulling her friend closer, "step into my office." She began to speak in a hushed whisper, "we don't know this guy, and we don't know what his plans are."

"It's better than the hotels at this point," Ami responded. "You heard what he said, you pay so much for so little."

"Have you seen the hotels?" Yumi countered, "he could be lying."

"I still think we should," said Ami, and turned around before Yumi could argue. "We'll take your offer, sir. What is your name again?"

"Harry Howler, and yes I know that sounds like the name of a lame murder mystery show protagonist." said Harry. Ami began to follow Harry with Tekirai. on her shoulders. Jang Keng looked at her owner, then jumped to Harry's shoulders.

"Traitor," Yumi scoffed. Harry turned to her.

"Last chance." He said to her.

"I don't care at this point," she said, and began to follow the white haired friend and cat stealer. The girls followed him until they came to an old, run down apartment building. Harry came under the awning, getting Jang Keng out of the rain. He came over to a keypad and punched in a code. A click was heard, and Harry pulled the door open,

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing the two to go inside. Ami jumped in enthusiastically but Yumi sauntered in rather annoyed at the turn of events. The girls then followed Harry up the three flights of stairs and watched as he fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked a door, again gesturing the two girls inside. It was then that Yumi noticed a small bruise under the man's left ear.

"Hey," she piped up, "where'd you get that bruise?"

"From my regular attacker," said Harry, "and the bane of this town. Mr. Break-My-Bones." Ami froze and looked over to him,

"He hit you?!" she asked, horrified,

"It seems to be his favorite pastime," said Harry, "he comes at me when I least expect it." In a pink flash Ami had moved from her current spot to behind Harry's ratty couch.

"I don't like the sounds of this, Yumi," said Ami, shaking, "what if he's here right now?"

"He's a big guy," said Harry, "he can't be stealthy worth beans. He's not here."

"Oh," said Ami, sheepishly, stepping out of her hiding spot. "I knew that."

"Sure," said Yumi with a roll of her eyes, then she looked to Harry, "So what do we do now?"

"Well," he said, "make yourselves comfortable for now. What's got you stuck here, exactly?"

"Our bus broke down," explained Ami, "and the only place that could fix it was two towns over. The bus is also where we live." Harry nodded,

"I see," he said, "well they're right though, there's only one mechanic in this rotten town, and they can barely fix a dent in the door of a toy car, let alone a whole bus." Yumi shook her head,

"What kind of place is this town?!" She asked, very irked,

"The one I am forced to call home." Harry countered. The day slowly wound down into night, and it was getting close to time to go to bed.

"You two can have the bed," said Harry,

"Oh no," said Ami, "We can't take your own bed from you. I insist, you have the bed; we'll have the couch."

"Nah," said Harry, "the bed is way better than the couch, and it seems only fair to me that you get the bed."

"Fine by me," said Yumi, and she kicked off her boots, and fell backwards onto the bed, grunting as she landed.

"I thought you said the bed was better." Growled Yumi, sitting up quickly.

"It is," said Harry, "you haven't tried the couch." Yumi stood and lay down on the couch.

"This isn't so," she began to say, when something sharp poked her in the butt, "YOWCH!" She nearly rocketed off the couch and landed back on the bed. She looked back at the couch, as a spring where her butt had just been bounced a few times, as if to laugh at her, then slid back into the couch.

"The bed isn't so bad anymore, is it?" Asked Harry.

"No," she grumbled after a brief pause.

"Well," Ami said while letting out a stiffening yawn, "Good night, Harry." She tucked herself into the bed, Tekirai. curling up on top of her. Jang Keng, seeming to have forgiven her owner, curled up near Yumi's face. The girls took just minutes to fall asleep, and Harry set about setting up the couch to make it tolerable. Before Harry set about getting to sleep, he took one last look at Ami. There was something oddly alluring about her slumbering state, but he couldn't place it. He felt a spark in his heart, yet he could not place what it is; he never felt it before.

There was something different, yet inviting about her.

Sorry about the uber long wait guys. I hope this chapter makes up for it, and I will try to make the updates and new chapters more frequent.


	3. A Bad Moon On The Rise

Author's Note: At the suggestion of ArthurEngine from Deviantart, the characters (namely Ami, Kaz, and Yumi) will occasionally speak Japanese from here on in. When a word is used in Japanese, I will put a footnote for the translation. Anyway, here is the chapter.

Chapter Three

A Bad Moon On The Rise

The morning was still. She could feel her feline companion on her chest, having woken up and was now kneading on her. Her eyelids were heavy, her back a touch sore from the admittedly stiff bed, but at least she didn't get another spring in her butt. She finally began to sit up, her black cat backing off her chest. She stepped off the bed, rubbing her purple hair out of her face.

Yumi let out a stiffening yawn, and looked to the couch. She saw that Harry was not there, but there was a note on the coffee table. She slipped her boots back on and walked over to it. Yumi heard mumbling from behind her, indicating Ami was beginning to wake up. Yumi took the sheet of paper in her hands and read the handwriting.

"Oh, no Ami!" Said Yumi in a concerned tone, causing Ami to bolt up.

"What is it?" She asked,

"That bad guy got Harry!"

"WHAT?!" Shouted Ami, bolting out of bed,

"Nah, just kidding," Said Yumi. She read the note aloud.

"To my guests,

I went to work, and will get some cat food while I am out. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and pantry and try to get comfortable. Don't venture outside, Mr. Break-My-Bones may find you.

Signed,

Harry."

"Boy," said Ami, trembling a touch, "don't do that, you scared me."

"The opportunity was there," said Yumi, slyly, "and too good to pass up." Yumi stretched a bit, and heard a growling sound.

"The tank's empty," said Yumi, patting her gut, and walked into Harry's tiny kitchen. "He said help ourselves." She opened the pantry. Looking back at her were a few kinds of cereal, some bread, and crackers.

"Not a five star meal," said the Purple haired rockstar, pulling out a box of Mr. Puff's Marshmallow Mania, "But it'll do." Yumi set about getting some bowls and spoons, and Ami went to the fridge to find the milk. She found the aforementioned dairy liquid, some butter, and not much else.

"Harry sure doesn't have a lot of choices as far as food goes," she said, pouring milk for herself and Yumi, as well as a bit in a third bowl for the cats, who were now starting to wake up.

"The guy lives in a bum town, probably has a bum job, and gets beaten up by a bigger bum," Yumi said, taking a bite of the cereal. "What do you expect?" she asked between bites.

"It's sad that he does, though," said Ami, a touch of melancholy in her voice, "I wish we could help him. He's such a nice guy, and-"

"Wait a minute," said Yumi, stopping Ami mid sentence, "You're not crushing on him, are you?" Ami blushed madly, causing a smirk out of her goth friend,

"N-no!" Defended Ami, "what makes you think that? Honestly, me crushing on him, you're so silly Yumi." Ami couldn't hide her nervous, guilty giggles.

"Uh huh," said Yumi, grinning slyly, "I'm the silly one, you keep telling yourself that." She took the last few bites of her cereal and brought her bowl to the sink. Ami did the same a few moments later. Then as Ami sat down on the couch (careful to avoid any springs) She noticed something papery in between the couch cushions.

"What's this?" she asked herself, attempting to pry it out of there. It took some doing but she managed to pull it out. It appeared to be a catalogue, fairly new. On the cover there was the words "Furniture Funhouse" in big red letters. Ami flipped through the pages, noticing that some of them were dog eared, those being things like couches, beds, and tables and chairs, certain ones even circled in black ink. An idea hatched in Ami's brain.

"Yumi, come see this," she called out. Yumi sauntered over to her,

"Whatcha got?" she asked.

"Look," she said, practically shoving the catalogue in Yumi's face. "Harry was looking through this. Maybe we can repay his kindness by getting him new furniture."

"Look, Ami," said Yumi, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, "I'll be the first to say I was harsh on Harry. He is a nice guy and all, but-"

"He opened his home to us," interjected Ami, counting her justifications on her fingers, "he allowed us to sleep in his bed AND eat his food, and he's getting food for our cats." Ami concluded with her puppy dog eyes. Yumi knew there was no changing her mind,

"Fine." she said, grabbing her phone.

…

The arrival of the furniture had taken a few hours, but the delivery guys weren't interested in helping the girls haul it all the way up to Harry's apartment, or disposing of the old furniture. This left the girls to haul the table, couch, and bed up the three flights of stairs. But when it came to dealing with the old Furniture, Yumi, tired of those stairs, smashed the old things and threw the pieces out the window to the dumpster below. The girls, satisfied with their work, took a seat on the new couch, and let out exhausted sighs in perfect unison.

"That was hard," Ami moaned,

"Yeah," Yumi agreed, "Harry better be grateful." Suddenly, the girls heard the sound of the deadbolt turning, "speak of the devil." The door opened, and in sauntered Harry, carrying a few brown paper grocery bags. He set them down on the floor, and then look at the apartment.

"Surprise!" Cried Ami, raising her exhausted arms.

"What is this?" asked Harry,

"We got you new Furniture," explained Ami, "as a way of saying thank you for your hospitality."

"And we had to haul it up all the way to this stinking place," retorted Yumi, still in pain from hauling the gifts, "So you better be grateful."

"Grateful?" echoed Harry, "no one has ever done anything like this for me. I think Grateful is an understatement!" He sprinted over and gave both girls a bear hug, lifting them off the ground. Ami was quick to return the hug, but Yumi hesitated before putting an arm around him. It was not long before Harry set them down, but suddenly, loud thumping noises shattered the moment.

"Oh, no!" said Harry, "you two need to leave, now!" Before the girls could question the sudden end of Harry's hospitality, a loud crashing sound rang out. The door fell off its hinges, and in sauntered a huge man, so tall he had to duck his head to get into the room.

"Been a long time, Howler," he said in a deep, menacing voice.

"NANI?!"* cried the girls in unison. He was massive and barrel chested, taller than all three of them, with his body covered in muscles. His hair was an orange flat top hair style, and his outfit was your usual biker affair, with leather boots, pants, and jacket, only the sleeves were destroyed. Under the jacket was a white T-shirt with a red skull on the chest.

"BMB!" cried out Harry,

"The name's Mr. Break-My-Bones," stated the big bully, before grabbing Harry by his shirt collar and throwing him across the room. Harry cried out as he flew, crashing into the brand new table. The table was smashed under him, leaving a pile of wood and a wounded white haired man. The attacker dusted off his hands. "And don't you forget it." Something overcame Ami, and even years after the fact she never could explain what it was. She sprang towards the near giant and started to slam her fists against his chest.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU BIG BULLY!" she shouted. Her fists had as much effect against him as snowballs would against a stone wall. BMB laughed, then grabbed Ami by her shoulders and picked her up.

"Well aren't you adorable?" he sneered, "You'll be fun!"

"Hey!" shouted Yumi, "leave her alone!" The behemoth shifted his gaze from Ami to Yumi with a wicked smirk on his face.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't?" he challenged.

"Keep holding her if you wanna find out!" Snapped Yumi, clenching her fists so hard her knuckles cracked.

"Now you've got my curious." Remarked the big man. He threw Ami off to the side, and she landed hard on Harry, who cried out as his injuries were probably made worse. That was it.

"I DIDN'T SAY THROW HER, YOU OVERGROWN GORILLA!" shouted Yumi then sprang forward and drove her fist into BMB's gut. BMB's eyes widened as he let out a loud yelp of pain, not expecting it to hurt this bad. For someone as small as her, BMB had to admit she was stronger than she looked. This wasn't going to be a one sided fight like most of his fights were.

BMB recoiled and swung both fists down at her, like he was trying to cut a log in half, but to his surprise and alarm, he had hit the air where she had just been standing. His reward for missing her was a painful jab to the side. He staggered towards the window, and he was so heavy that just by rubbing it, it cracked.

"Damn you!" Cried BMB, "It'll be a cold day in hell before I lose to you!" BMB dug his heels into the floor, holding his arms over his face. "Come get me, if you feel brave." He taunted Yumi. Yumi, however, was reminded of the game she'd been playing just recently, SuperHero Slamfest. She channeled Crimson Fist's energy. She let loose a powerful spartan kick, which broke BMB's block and caused him to recoil, then she punched him hard in the chest twice. The chest punches were enough to stun him, which left him open for the Crimson Uppercut.

Yumi's move was so powerful, BMB thrown through the window, and plummeted down the three stories, landing hard on the street below. The already cracked pavement cracked even more with his girth. BMB was in more pain than he had ever been. He was enraged: the idea that he'd been tossed to the side like yesterday's meatloaf was a total disgrace. He looked up, and was further angered by the purple haired vigilante looking down on him with a smirk. He raised his fist for a threatening gesture, but before he could finish, his ears were filled by the sound of sirens.

 _Of all the times the pigs could show up_! Thought BMB as he prepared to fight them off. But sadly he didn't get the chance, as all three officers sprang out with Tasers. The first Taser was enough to bring him down; the other two were enough to keep him still long enough for police to haul his huge frame into the back of a cruiser.

Yumi watched the cop cars drive away until they were out of sight, then turned to help Ami and Harry. Ami wasn't too badly hurt, just a few bumps and bruises. Harry on the other hand, was much worse off. His breathing was unsteady, his torn shirt revealing severe bruising.

"You okay?" asked Yumi,

"Fine," said Harry, "nothing that hasn't been broken before."

"BROKEN?!" asked Ami, horrified, then hugged Harry, clearly on the verge of tears. As bad as the hugging hurt him, it felt just as good. He slowly returned the hug, it would have been faster except he was in quite a lot of pain.

"I should be fine by the morning." It wasn't until Harry said that that the trio began to realize how late it was. Time had gone by fast, from the bringing up of the furniture, to dealing with BMB, to now felt like a few minutes. The moon was high in the sky, and not one of them had much energy to stay up longer.

Harry suggested the girls take the bed and he take the couch again, but this time the girls refused to rob him of his brand new bed. So, they all slept together. Throughout the night, Ami never let go of Harry. Holding him made her feel safe and comfortable.

Nani: What

There we go, next chapter finished. Sorry these updates take so long. I will try to speed it along, again, I'm sorry.


	4. The Beginning Of A New Life

Chapter Four

The Beginning Of A New Life.

Harry was roused to awakening by one of the cats, who he later found to be Jang Keng, jumping his his injured ribs. This caused him to yelp and spring up, sending the cat flying across the room. The reaction stirred his two companions awake, as they also sprang up.

"Harry!" cried Ami, "what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, Ami," Harry tried to comfort her, "one of the cats just touched a tender spot."

"And you said you'd be fine by morning," Mused Yumi with sarcasm.

"I usually am, and" Harry started,

"But you're not!" Interjected Yumi firmly, before getting out of bed. "Come on, we're gonna get you to a hospital or something."

"But we don't have-" Harry began, but Yumi cut him off again,

"We'll find one. Now come on. We can't let you stay like that. You'll worry Ami to death." When she put it like that, Harry lost his will to refuse anymore. He got up as well. After both showered, separately of course, the two got ready to go.

"You gonna be okay by yourself, Ami?" Asked Yumi,

"I should be okay," Ami stated, "as long as you two don't take too long."

"We'll be quick," Harry assured her. Then he and Yumi set out to find a medical pavilion of some kind or another. As the pair walked along, it was inevitable for conversation to spring up.

"How long have you lived in this dump, Harry?" asked Yumi.

"Since I moved out of my parent's house," he replied, "I finished high school and wanted to strike out on my own. I got on the plane and let it take me wherever. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made. No sooner did I move here that BMB found me and decided I was his regular punching bag, his old one wasn't around anymore."

"What happened to him?" Yumi asked,

"I never found out," said Harry, "BMB said he beat him to death, and I don't wanna believe him."

"Well," said Yumi, "You don't have to worry about him anymore; he's behind bars."

"Even so," said Harry, "I'm strap myself to a missile if it meant getting outta this dump."

"You'd be dead, moron." Shot Yumi,

"But I'd be dead in a new place," countered Harry. "Moving on; how did you and Ami meet?"

"We just ran into each other." Yumi explained. "It was a chance meeting, but one I don't regret for a moment. Meeting her changed my life, for the better."

"I get the feeling," said Harry, "that it may change mine for the better too." Yumi's eyes slid over to look at Harry, but she said nothing. The two continued, and eventually they managed to find a small but mostly functional medical pavilion. It was borderline rundown with peeling paint on the the outside, and with some of the shingles all but falling off the roof.

"Looks sketchy," mused Harry, "which means it's just what we need."

"After how far we had to walk," complained Yumi, realizing the pain in her feet from walking a long distance, "It better be." Harry walked over to the door and tried it. It pulled right open, so he walked in. Yumi sat down in one of the lawn chairs waiting outside. She checked the time on her phone; it was already three in the afternoon! How did they lose so much time? Yumi groaned as she tilted her head back.

"Ami's gonna freak out if we're not back before dark." She stated, then looked up to see two guys looking at her. "And what do you want?!" she snapped at them, causing them to bolt off. "Pfft, cowards." Just then, Harry came out.

"There's those people skills, hard at work." He joked.

"Out already?" asked Yumi, genuinely surprised, "what did they do?"

"Gave me an aspirin." SAid Harry, patting his once sore ribs, showing no pain. Yumi facepalmed.

"If that's all we had to do," she whined, "we coulda been back by now!" So the two began to trek back to the apartment, but something was amiss...there was that feeling of bad things to come in the air.

"I got a bad feeling all of a sudden." Said Harry,

"Wait!" Cried Yumi, smelling the air, "do you smell that?" Harry did: Smoke. Suddenly, Yumi's phone rang. She checked the caller ID; it was Ami. Yumi answered.

"Ami," she said "how are-"

"TASUKETE!"* Screamed Ami into the receiver. They could hear it; the crackling of a raging fire. "THE APARTMENT'S ON FIRE! I'M TRAPPED!" They could hear a slight mumble in the back. "I-I MEAN WE'RE TRAPPED!"

"Hang on Ami!" Shouted Yumi, "We'll be right there." Harry and Yumi took off with the speed you only see in cartoons. Blazing through the streets in record time, the two came up upon the apartment. There were people gathered the building, displaced residents, but wouldn't you know it...no fire truck in sight. Harry ran to the front doors, but they were sealed with debris and fire. He frantically searched for another way, and saw the fire escape. He took off and scrambled up it, with Yumi hot on his heels. Harry had taken this before, he'd used it a few times to climb up if BMB was coming up the street.

Before long, Harry was exactly where he needed to go; his apartment, soon to be former home. Ami stood on the bed, with the cats clinging to her hair, as the fire slowly approached them. Harry was amazed that most of the furniture wasn't burning yet, but now was his chance. He drew back his fist and threw it at the window. It shattered, and Harry would have been amazed at his strength were he not in such a hurry. He sprang across the furniture like he was playing "The floor is lava." Which it kind of was. He quickly made his way to Ami and scooped her up in his arms, the cats still clinging to her. Then he sprang back across the way he came, Yumi waiting to help them climb down. Seconds before the flames engulfed his shoes, Harry sprang through the window.

"You okay, Ami?" he asked. Ami nodded, then threw her arms around Harry,

"Thank you so much!" She cried, clinging to him tightly. The trio was about to attempt the climb down, but suddenly there was a horrid and loud sound; the sound of metal giving way under their feet. The shock and scare of sudden freefall overcame all five of the beings, as they tumbled from the fire escape and fell down quickly into the blackness of the evening ground. But thankfully, all three landed softly.

One by one, Harry, Ami, and Yumi rose from the dumpster, Ami and Yumi with their cats clinging to their heads. All three looked back up, horrified that the building would fall onto them. But no, today Murphy of the famous Murphy's law took it easy on them, as the building caved in on itself, sending only dust their way. The three ducked back into the dumpster until the dust settled, and it was safe to rise up and breath again.

"That was a close one." Said Harry. Before anyone could say anything else, Yumi let out a yelp of pain.

"What's the matter?" asked Ami.

"Stupid couch got me again!" yelled Yumi, jumping out of the dumpster.

…

Harry was a bundle of nerves at the moment. He knew he should feel upset, no, not upset, enraged. BMB had to have friends on the outside; there was no way that fire was an accident. Not only was he out of a home, not only were several innocent people who never even heard of BMB out of their homes, but if he hadn't been able to break his window so quickly, Ami wouldn't be around anymore.

He looked at his knuckle, which had recently been bandaged by a good samaritan, it was sore, especially in the evening air. He knew he should feel stressed about the lack of a home as well. Sure, BMB was in jail, but that didn't mean living on the streets was safe. But his feelings, whatever they were or should have been, were quelled when he looked at Ami, alive and well, hugging Yumi and their cats.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Yumi,

"If it weren't for Harry," said Ami, casting her eyes onto him, "I wouldn't be." Eventually, she broke her hug with Yumi and gave one to Harry. But something was different about this hug. It was tighter than Ami had ever hugged Yumi, and it seemed like she didn't want to let go. She'd never seen her like this before, not even Chad had come close to bringing out this side of her. Suddenly, looking at the ruins of what was once an apartment, something dawned on Harry.

"So, Harry." She said, "do you have anyone to live with?" Harry hesitated before shaking his head. Ami gasped.

"We...we…" Before she could finish, a bright light shone upon them, briefly blinding all three of them. Eventually, they could see again, and what a sight it was.

"Come on, girls!" Kaz called from the driver's seat of the running, functioning bus, "we've got to leave now if you're going to make it in time to your next stop on the tour."

Harry watched as Ami and Yumi started to walk towards the bus, his heart heavy. But then, they stopped and looked back at him.

"Come on!" Cried Kaz, "What's the hold up. We gotta get moving! Money doesn't make itself you know!" Yumi looked back at Kaz, then pointed at Harry,

"He's coming with!" She cried. Harry couldn't recall the last time he smiled so wide.

"What?!" Asked Kaz, baffled, "No! I forbid it! He's not coming!"

"Yes he is!" Said Ami, firmly, "He saved my life! And theirs!" Ami held up Tekerai and Jang Keng, who nodded vigorously.

"That's great!" Kaz said flatly, "but he-"

"HE'S COMING!" Yumi shouted so loudly the bus slid back a few feet, "END OF STORY! Besides, he doesn't have a home anymore; it's the least we can do for him after he saved Ami's life." Kaz wanted to argue more, but he knew that Ami and Yumi wouldn't get on the bus unless this guy was too. He didn't want it, but what he did want was the money; he knew he'd have to cannonball through several towns to get the girls to their show on time, so time was of the essence. There was no time for a stalemate.

"Fine!" Kaz yielded, opening the doors and letting all three people on the bus.

…

As the bus finally left Liberty Town, Harry couldn't help but look back at it one last time, his eyes staying on it until it was gone. Mr. Break My Bones was behind bars. And he was finally leaving that town he'd been forced to call home for the last five years. Finally, he was free.


End file.
